Associated Acts
There were over 250 entertainers and acts that perfomed at the Savoy Ballroom. There were a variety of of big Jazz bands/musicians and Swing Musicans who were associated with the Savoy Ballroom. This page touches only scratches the surface.
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Big Bands at The Savoy
Fess Williams
Fess Williams was the first resident band leader at the Savoy Ballroom. Fess Williams is from Chicago and he graduated from the American Tuskegee institute where he studied clarient (Abdoulaev 2014). Being the first house bandleader, Williams played at the opening gala at the Savoy Ballrom in March 1926. His band played a variety of jazz music. He played at the Savoy Ballroom until 1928.
Chick Webb
Chick Webb became the Savoy Ballroom's second resident house band leader after Fess Williams left in 1928. What made Chick Webb's band so special in pariticular is that they had Ella Fitzgerald singing with them starting in 1934. Webb's style of music was more modern and contemporary than Williams' and the crowds at the Savoy loved him. Webb "redefined the conventions of swing drumming as early as 1935 by utilizing a full percussion battery on stage."(Abdoulaev 2014).
Count Basie
Count Basie and his band played at the Savoy Ballroom from June 1937 - July 1937. Couny Basie's band handled the Savoy's evening dances and radio broadcasts. During his time at the Savoy, his perfomances were broadcasted over a variety of New York's radio stations. Basie's Orchestra was often accomapanied by singers Billie Holiday and James Rushing (Abdoulaev 2014).
Al Cooper's Savoy Sultans
After Chick Webb left his residency at the Savoy Ballroom, Al Cooper and his band the "Savoy Sultans" played at the Savoy until the band broke up in 1946 (Abdoulaev 2014). The Savoy Sultan's were an eight-piece band with three trumpets, two saxophones and a rythym section (Abdoulaev 2014).